The Meeting of Joachim and Anna at the Golden Gate

1504

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

The Meeting of Joachim and Anna at the Golden Gate is a 1504 by Albrecht Dürer, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Albrecht Dürer
When & what style?: 1504 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

The painting shows an old couple embracing at a city gate. They are Joachim and Anna, Mary's parents. This scene is from a story that isn't in the Bible, but was well-known back then. The story goes that Joachim's offering was rejected because he didn't have kids. Then an angel told him his wife would have a child. This moment shows their happy reunion. You can learn more about this style by looking at the work of artist: Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528)

The story of this work

Overview

The first three woodcuts of Dürer’s narrative (1959.99.2-4) portray the events leading up to the Virgin’s birth. According to an apocryphal text, Mary’s parents, Joachim and Anna, had remained childless into old age. After Joachim’s offering at the temple was rejected for this reason, the angel Gabriel appeared to him in the wilderness to announce that his wife would soon bear a child. At this news, the two tenderly embraced at the city’s gate.

Read the full account in the museum source.